Lacina.dev presents VITULUS
After some time of development comes the time when the project is in a state in which it can be made available to the public. The original goal was to make an autonomous lawn mower, but over time the idea of a more universal platform was born and the mower became its accessory, which expands the possibilities of the basic platform.
The chassis is based on the Turtlebot3 in terms of drive and control. RTAB-Map is used for mapping together with Intel T265 tracking camera and Intel D435 Depth camera. The main brain is the Intel NUC i7 and uses OpenCR for control. You can see the hardware and software in detail in the specifications below.
By printing several components, you can easily change the overall dimensions of the chassis and adapt it to current needs. The robot has a removable main control unit and can therefore be easily moved to another chassis, such as a vacuum cleaner or anything else. The control unit is one of the most expensive parts of the robot and this solution will bring greater benefits at lower costs. It always bothered me when I had to disassemble the old one because of a new robot, because I needed a part of it.
VITULUS images
Vitulus on field.
Main unit model
Full 3D model
VITULUS is now at the beginning of his journey and a great deal awaits him. I will be happy to help anyone who decides to build it or contribute to its development. In the future, as in the present, my goal is to maintain the ability to make this robot using 3D printing and common components such as screws, nuts, bearings, etc. With a bit of exaggeration, I can say that it can be made at home in the bedroom with ordinary tools.